GBAPS will enhance safety protocols at high schools in response to Preble gun incident

Green Bay Area Public School District building. (IMAGE: Courtesy of Fox 11 WLUK)

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The Green Bay Area Public School District is continuing to enhance safety measures at its schools after a loaded gun and ammunition were found inside a 16-year-old student’s backpack at Preble High School last week.

In a letter sent to GBAPS families Thursday, Superintendent Vicki Bayer announced a new security plan for the district’s high schools that she says “clarifies and modifies current protocols, balances consequences and supports creating every opportunity for a student to complete high school successfully.”

These measures will be implemented Monday — the same day the clear backpack requirement begins for all GBAPS students in grades 6-12.

Since the events of last week at Preble High School, I have been listening to students, parents, staff and community members, and I have heard your desire for the District to do more to address the unsafe behaviors in our schools. Safe learning environments are essential for students to thrive in schools. In response to where unsafe acts are taking place in our schools amongst students, the following plan, in addition to the clear backpacks, will be in effect in the high schools of Green Bay Area Public Schools as of September 22, 2025.

Below is the plan laid out by the district:

Removal from School Grounds and Suspension

• Students who engage in or are contributing to unsafe acts (fighting, assault, possession/use of weapons, etc.) will be removed from the school and grounds. Law enforcement will likely be involved.
• Based on witness statements, including the involved student(s), a school-based consequence will be determined and communicated to the parent/guardians prior to the next school day. This will always include a multi-day suspension at minimum. For the days that a student is suspended, a no-trespass requirement will be enforced prohibiting the student from being on ANY GBAPS school campus during the school day or during any school-sponsored events. Additional charges stemming from police involvement will be communicated through law enforcement.
• If a student is enrolled in the school through intra-district transfer (IDT) or an administrative placement (ATR), that enrollment will be officially reviewed and likely revoked and a transition plan will be developed for the student to attend school in their attendance area or a placement in a virtual or alternative school setting for the duration of the school year. The student will not be allowed to reapply for IDT or ATR for future years.
• These behaviors are a significant code-of-conduct violation and will also invoke immediate suspensions from athletic teams and activities.
• For students that engage in persistent unsafe acts, a recommendation for expulsion will be made. No student who has engaged in persistent unsafe acts will be returning to the school they are currently attending.

Re-entry to High School with Support

• Any student suspended for unsafe acts will engage in a minimum 1-week transition period after the suspension is served. This transition period will begin and end with a re-entry meeting with parents/guardians. At the start of the re-entry period, parents/guardians will be informed of the intent and terms of the minimum 1-week transition and a signed contract indicating these have been reviewed. At the conclusion of the transition period, parents/guardians will also meet to review expectations moving forward.
• This period of transition may be extended by the school team if there is evidence the student needs additional time prior to re-entry. Failure to comply with any steps of the transition period may result in a recommendation for an alternative placement.
• Terms of the 1-week transition period will include: Delayed hall passing with supervision, supervised lunch in a small setting, separate advisory period, attendance monitoring resulting in any interruption due to a late arrival, absence, or skipping class will restart the 5-day period, student day begins in the office, the student will be escorted from the building.
• In recognition that we are serving students and want the student’s return to school to be successful, there will be opportunities for the student to continue to build and maintain relationships with staff and students at school.

“We believe this plan is responsive to the concerns that we have heard since last week,” Bayer said. “This plan demands additional accountability of students who engage in unsafe acts, honors our mission of educating all students, requires students to earn lost privileges, and ensures active participation by parents/guardians.”